Words: 1492
Without training of some sort, nothing of quality can ever be achieved. Where to get the best training is the question; in the hospitality industry, each sector has a specific training required in order to obtain the best results possible in the field. In her article “Training the Heart of the Hotel”, Lizz Chambers develops a number of points in her approach to training housekeeping staff; the article is structured on real-life experiences and not just theories or advices, hence interesting the reader in her topic as well as in her occupation, more specifically.
Nevertheless, this article is biased in that it tries to get the reader’s attention attracted in Chambers’ potential services through relating the story in question. To begin with, the title would attract attention: Chambers uses the word ‘heart’ (Chambers, 2006), making it all more personal as a start. If housekeeping staff would read this, they would feel flattered in some ways; if people interested in getting training for their hotel would read it, they would be made, if they hadn’t already, to realise the importance of the department in a hotel.
A continued example of the importance Chambers places on housekeeping (meant for reader awareness) is to be found in paragraph 3, where she includes herself in the subtle ‘Why do we as an industry tend to neglect this department when it comes to classroom training? ‘ (Chambers, 2006). By speaking of her own experiences (‘When I first began my career in training…’ – Chambers, 2006) and having a picture of herself by the article, the take on things is rather reassuring, like hearing a story one would be interested in.
The word ‘concerned’ (Chambers, 2006) is repeated throughout the first paragraph, showing of the real interest she took in the matter. However, Chambers manages to keep on the professional side by using words such as ‘payroll impact’ (Chambers, 2006); for example; a person unrelated to the hospitality business would not understand this necessarily, yet it makes her look somewhat ‘important’. She also makes use of direct questions to her reader, such as ‘Also, could I keep their attention? ‘ or ‘Why? ‘, (Chambers, 2006) etc.
This would help one feel more involved in the happenings, through the simple lecture of the article. Another device used is short sentences, for what could be seen as ‘fast understanding’ or captivating: ‘My guess was…Yes’ (Chambers, 2006). Chambers places a clear emphasis on her experiences by using the word ‘I’ (Chambers, 2006) fairly much, in this manner placing her where she can easily be identified with the success of her programs, such as G. R. E. A. T. (Guest Room Exceptional Attendant Training), then adding short sentences such as ‘It was great! (Chambers, 2006); both the words used and the exclamation mark bring out her achievement. This is further highlighted at the end of the second paragraph, where she explains that every person which had taken part in her programs chose to follow on to H. S. C. (Hospitality Skills Certification) (Chambers, 2006), showing once more of her accomplishment. Using words such as ‘our team’ and ‘we’ contrasts with the use of ‘I’ (Chambers, 2006); this is to show how in the end, she feels at one with the people she worked with. We’ (Chambers, 2006) also brings in her company, somehow proving of their importance. This general feeling is felt also through the enumerated workshops her company has started: ‘Moments of Truth in Housekeeping…and WOW! (a customer/teambuilding class which housekeeping attends with all other departments)’ (Chambers, 2006). Quite an attractive statement and potential promise is made then (paragraph 4), when Chambers takes learning through to a psychological level, measuring the impact that her company’s training programs would have on the ‘students’.
She describes their working atmosphere in a most friendly, innovative and understanding manner. The conclusion of this article is done in a statement with much impact on the reader; after having brought out all positive points through descriptions, experiences and promises, Chambers now shows the supposed point of view of the people whom she worked with: ‘Our associates and applicants tell us that while our competition may say they appreciate the housekeeping department, we show them that we know they are our HEART. (Chambers, 2006). All these elements are aimed at convincing the reader of Chambers’ company’s competence; by even mentioning competition and the difference between them, this article has all the elements required to convince and bring the point across: she and her company truly are the best. Speaking of competition and using the word ‘heart’ to appeal, ‘FRED’ (Finding Revenue Every Day) is a company which also does training for housekeeping.
In their promotion of their programs, ‘FRED’ states ‘housekeepers are the heart of a hotel’ (‘Fred Programs’, 2006), which shows that this marketing tool (motto) is not quite a new idea, as Chambers would like to give out. By reading it somewhere else, the words seem to loose conviction and energy. When comparing ‘Training the Heart of a Hotel’ article (Chambers, 2006) to the ‘Fred Programs’ (‘Fred Programs’ 2006) presentation of possible housekeeping training programs, one may find the simplicity of the latter more attractive than the sweetening words of Chambers; this is yet another proof of the bias of Chambers’ article.
If anyone interested in Lizz Chambers’ training programs would then look further, they would indeed find she is quite a reliable source of information on the matter, which seems to know what she is doing, and has in fact been in the field for quite some time. The official site of her company, Newport Hospitality Group, Inc. , states that ‘Lizz has over 28 years of industry experience, including positions with both independent and franchise hotels’ (‘Our Team’, n. d. ). She occupies the position of Director of Training, ‘responsible for the overall Training/Development and Human Resources’ (‘Our Team’, n. . ); her profile on the site then lists all the societies and councils she is a member of in the United States, proving of her trustworthiness and competence. Her description even gives a point of reference by mentioning the position she occupied before joining Newport Hospitality Group, Inc. , in a Louisiana based Management Company, which were involved with training Sheraton hotel staff (Sheraton would be seen as a very good name and reference). Nevertheless, most of her articles are always published on http://hospitaitynet. rg. Perhaps there is something behind this exclusivity to Hospitality Net???, despite the fact that references to her name, achievements and training programs are found all over the Internet, on various hospitality-related sites. Hospitality Net??? is considered a good site for researches linked to hospitality, yet advertisements such as those of ‘American Express??’ and ‘PhoCusWright@ITB’ can be found on it, even when opening the page of Lizz Chambers’ ‘Training the Heart of the Hotel’.
Advertisements may mean that they sponsor the site in general or the article specifically, and can imply a change in focus: if one is reading the article but the advertisement beside it is bigger or flashes about, an interest in it may develop and one would click on it, leaving the previous page (and article) behind. Perhaps not so much in terms of reliability but rather of importance for the article, advertisements can prove to be a negative point around the writings.
The site also presents the reader with ‘Recent News’, which gives links to more of Chambers’ articles, enhancing so the bias and purpose of this page: advertise her. People like Lizz Chambers may be seen as presenting a threat to a certain extent. Does one really want more ‘classroom-qualified’ housekeeping staff? That may signify a potential claim to a raise of salary, as the more certificates one has, the higher the demands. The false perception in a hotel, even if the management knows it isn’t so, is that housekeeping is the one department which never seems to bring an income (Fournier S. 2007). However, the better they do their job, the more satisfied the customers will be, and the bigger the general income. This would be a justification to bring in the kind of training program Lizz Chambers offers, but it all depends on the institution and whether they really require it; there is no real right or wrong on the matter. Whatever the motives and needs, training does not only mean qualifications and what these imply; it provides efficiency and knowledge, and that is exactly what any hotel would want and expect from their housekeeping department.
References: Chambers, L. (2006). Training the heart of the hotel. Retrieved Friday 16th February 2007, from http://www. hospitalitynet. org/news/4026289. search? query=lizz+chambers+%22training+the+heart+of+the+hotel%22 Finding Revenue Every Day: Fred programs (2006). Retrieved Friday 16th February 2006 from http://www. fredtraining. com/housekeeping. php Fournier, S. (2007, February 22). In Rooms Division Operation class Newport Hospitality Group, Inc. : Our team. (n. d. ). Retrieved Friday 16th February 2006 from http://www. nhghotels. com/testimonials. shtml